Childhood obesity and obesity epidemic health and social care essay

Where can people find more information on childhood obesity?

Causes and Prevention — Essay Sample Childhood obesity is a major concern for parents, teachers, and the medical community with differing philosophies and theories on causes and prevention.

Inactivity, genetics, technology and parenting attitudes and beliefs are factors which contribute to childhood obesity. Peer pressure and social circles also create an epidemic of children overweight or obese. Intervention by parents, physicians and the educational system with support and nutrition with physical activity instruction can help create a culture of informed children.

Childhood obesity is a major concern for parents, teachers and health care providers. Children will gain weight as they grow and develop. The problem presents when a child has extra pounds not needed for normal growth and development.

About Childhood Obesity

Extra weight leads to obesity and particularly for a young child or adolescent can create serious medical conditions continuing into adulthood. Researching and determining particular and specific causes for childhood obesity can help in educating and motivating children and parents towards behavior changes to correct and prevent childhood obesity.

Criteria for determining obesity in children rely on body mass index BMI in relation to overall weight, age, height and body structure. A BMI in children ages 6 to 19 years of age between the 85th and 94th percentiles is considered in the normal range, while anything over the 95th percentile is considered obese Hampl and Summar, Excess weight is typically caused by overeating and exercising too little.

Introduction

However, there are some hormonal and genetic causes contributing to childhood obesity. This condition occurs when the body experiences high levels of the hormone cortisol for an extended period of time. Along with increased weight it can cause high blood pressure, bone loss and diabetes Mayo Clinic, Physical activity and social interaction are also factors in childhood obesity.

With the documented evidence of health related problems associated with obesity, it is important to enlist parents, educators and health care providers to address the problem of overweight children and the dynamics of how diet, activity and social interaction affect an individual.

Methods A thorough search of online databases was used to identify relevant and significant peer-reviewed journal articles related to childhood obesity and the causes and preventions for this condition.

ProQuest Medical Library was the primary search engine used; access provided by Florida Gulf Coast University with a search limited to a period of 10 years. Themes discovered included the concepts of parental and social influence, diet and activity.

Childhood Obesity: Causes and Prevention – Essay Sample

Eleven papers were reviewed and are included in the findings supporting this literature review on childhood obesity. Several focused on medical evaluation of childhood obesity and the identification of problems early in life Barlow, Dietz, Klish, and Trowbridge,Hampl and Summar,and Harker and Saguil, conducted studies to show the relevance of early detection.

The benefits of physical activity and fitness as a preventive and corrective measure were recorded also in a few articles Morrow and Ede,Dwyer, Magnussen, Schmidt and Ukoumunne, A study of the nutritional significance was researched Moore, Pawloski, Goldberg and Mi Oh,as well as infant feeding and childhood obesity Butte, Communication Daniel, and neighborhood social circles were also a theme in the articles Cecil-Karb and Grogan-Kaylor, and Franzini, Elliott, Cuccaro, and Schuster, Obesity, Prevention, and Health Care Costs.

the obesity epidemic is a major driver of health care costs in the United States, and the costs may continue to increase significantly in the future. Essay about Childhood Obesity. Childhood obesity continues to be a serious problem in the United States and around the world.

• Persuasive essay on obesity - Sample Essays

According to Evans et al in the article Changing Perceptions of the Childhood Obesity Epidemic, obesity is one of the primary causes of preventable death in the US, and costs billions of dollars a year in health care .

Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is an epidemic affecting children and adolescents from different races and backgrounds. The childhood obesity prevalence in America has been considered a national health .

Not surprisingly, then, the obesity epidemic is a major driver of health care costs in the United States, and the costs may continue to increase significantly in the future if it is not controlled.

Obesity rates in the United States have been rising over the past 35 years, resulting in a subsequent increase in nutrition-related chronic disease morbidity and mortality and significant burdens to families, communities, and health care systems. In working to formulate effective public health policy solutions that address the obesity epidemic, it is important to analyze how obesity .

Childhood Obesity is becoming More Significant and leading to More Adult Obesity and Health Problems Introduction: Childhood obesity is an escalating issue in all over the world and particularly in the United States' children and adults.